


"Over the Airwaves" (Familiar)

by Ricochet713



Series: Reaper76 Week [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Day Five, Gabe finally gets some damn recognition, I honestly don't know how to tag this properly, Jack has a fandom, Jack has one of those really nice radio voices back in his younger days, Jack sticking up for Gabe (for once), Jesse teasing Gabe about having a crush on Jack, M/M, Reaper76 - Freeform, Reaper76 Week, and it's mostly teenage girls, jokes on Jesse they're already dating, let's be real here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 13:11:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9492815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricochet713/pseuds/Ricochet713
Summary: Gabriel decides (is prompted by Jesse) to tune in to an interview about Overwatch on the radio, and gets a very pleasant surprise.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this is super late and I still have a bunch of these prompts to fill (and by bunch I mean two), but I figure it's better late than never, right? I wrote this then got a better idea later, but never got the chance to actually write it, so... here you go!
> 
> This piece is set in Overwatch's earlier days, not long after Jack was made Strike Commander but far enough along that Jesse and Gabe have a good rapport going on (though Jesse only suspects that Gabe and Jack are doing the smooches).
> 
> I'll have my prompts for Day 6 and 7 up soon!

If there was a hell, Gabriel’s version of it would be filled with paperwork. Miles and miles of it, stacks upon stacks, as far as he could see – not so different from his current situation, come to think of it. Slumped over his desk, Gabriel gave a sigh. His back had a crick; Angela would no doubt lecture him about his posture next time he visited her, when his pain-killers ran out. It wasn’t like he could help it when he kept having all this paperwork thrown at him. Every shot fired, every safe-house visited, every piece of intel retrieved – all of it had its own elaborate set of paperwork to be carefully filled out, signed, sent on to higher-ups in the U.N. and _Dios_ , Gabriel hated it.

As his eyes scanned over the half-finished report he was currently working on – without catching a single word of it – he gave a long sigh. Idly, he wondered if Jack had to fill out as much paperwork as he had to, and the idea made him smirk; at least that was one horror they both had to face in their respective positions. His communicator gave a blip, interrupting the thought, and he looked across at it with a frown as the screen lit up, flashing the initials **JMc**. With a huff, he abandoned the report, reached over, and brought the device to his ear.

“What?”

_ “Well ‘hello’ to you, too, boss.” _

Gabriel’s frown deepened. “I’m writing reports, Jesse. What is it?”

_ “Jack’s interview just started on the radio, thought you might want to tune in.” _

Shit. In the swamp of reports, he’d almost forgotten. Leaning back in his chair – wincing as his spine gave a twinge – he ran a hand across his face. “Why would I wanna listen to an interview about shit I either already know or that’s just getting made up for the press?” he grumbled.

_ “Cus it’s Jack?” _

There was a hopefulness to his tone that curbed Gabriel’s will to argue. He _had_ been meaning to listen to the interview, had promised Jack that he would, but… A sigh escaped him.

“Alright, fine. Now go… do something productive. Dismissed.”

He silenced the comm with a click and set it aside, eyes flicking across to his holopad. Maybe he could just listen to a few minutes of it, just enough that he wouldn’t be outright lying if Jack asked him about it later. Or he could turn it on and tune it out, keep working on his reports. He shot another look at his comm, as though expecting Jesse to ring him again to make sure he kept his word, grimaced and snatched his holopad from the desk, opening the radio app and finding the right station. Immediately, Jack’s jovial laughter filtered through the speakers.

_ “Well, I… I don’t know about that…” _

_ “Oh, it’s true!” _ The presenter sounded thrilled. _“You have a huge fanbase, Commander! Overwatch has an enormous following, and you yourself have a lot of supporters.”_

_ “Well, having a fanbase and being popular was never Overwatch’s purpose, so as humbling as it is, I’ve never really paid much attention to it. My focus is always on protecting those who need protection, and carrying out the work Overwatch was intended for: maintaining peace and order in the world.” _

Spoken like a true commander. Gabriel nearly sneered at how noble Jack sounded, how modest – he really played into the whole ‘golden boy’ character a little too smoothly some days. And as for not paying much attention to his celebrity status, Gabriel knew that wasn’t the truth; Jack _hated_ having so much spotlight on him.

_ “But isn’t it nice to know you have a large following?” _

_ “Well, to be honest, I actually prefer to spend what down-time I have taking it easy, away from all of that.” _

_ “Ah, I see. Our good Commander is a bit of an introvert, is he?” _

Another quiet laugh; despite himself, Gabriel felt a little warmed by the sound. Were he and Jack alone and he’d laughed like that, Gabriel would have grinned from ear to ear. There was a bitter edge to it here – Jack wasn’t sharing this laugh with him, but with millions of listeners, and it was forced, just a touch strained.

_ “I’m afraid so.” _

_ “Well, I’m sure that’s news for our listeners! Now, tell me, Commander, is there a particular someone you like to spend this ‘down time’ with, hm? Your fans would love to know.” _

Gabriel sat a little more upright, listening intently. Through the speakers, he heard Jack fumble a little.

_ “Oh, uh, not really…” _ Gabriel’s heart sunk for a moment; he wasn’t surprised, not really – the U.N. insisted that they keep their budding relationship a secret to the public eye – but there was still an undeniable pang of disappointment. Then Jack went on: _“Well, actually, I do spend a lot of time with Gabriel Reyes.”_

_ “Oh?” _ The presenter sounded genuinely interested. _“Why does that name sound familiar…?”_

At that, Gabriel gave a low grumble. Of course people had forgotten who he was already! And of course Jack would smile, laugh it off, no big deal…

_ “He was the leader of Overwatch’s original Strike Team,” _ Jack answered, a little tightly; Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise. _“He led our team during the Omnic Crisis; it’s because of him that we were able to put a stop to the war. He saved millions of lives – maybe even all of humanity. He’s a true hero.”_

Gabriel released a low breath. He hadn’t expected that, least of all on such a public platform. It was straying from protocol – Gabriel wasn’t meant to be mentioned as far as it could be helped, so as not to draw attention to his unexplained disappearance from the public eye – but every word made his heart swell. Jack sounded _proud_ , and that was enough to smooth the crease in Gabriel’s brow.

_ “That’s… some very high praise there, Commander.” _

_ “He deserves it,” _ Jack went on. _“Gabriel Reyes is the reason you and I are sitting here talking; it was thanks to his determination and skill that the Crisis was ended. He was an exceptional leader, and the fact that he was able to lead such a small team to victory without losing a single one of us just proves how much he cared about his team.”_

_ “You sound very fond of him.” _

Jack paused, seemed to catch himself. _“I… We go back a long way, Gabriel and I. As leader of the Strike Team, I always had a great deal of respect for him, and I trusted him deeply. Everyone in the Strike Team did. He became a close friend of mine – still is.”_

_ “Yet you were made Strike Commander, and not him.” _

Gabriel jolted in his seat, eyebrows shooting up. From the sound of things, Jack mustn’t have expected the question, either, but he kept his composure better than Gabriel had. There was no surprise in his tone, but instead Gabriel heard a careful sternness.

_ “That’s… quite forward of you.” _

_ “Oh! My apologies, Commander, I got carried away in the story!” _ A damn lie, Gabriel knew; this presenter couldn’t be the only person wondering why the leader of Overwatch’s original Strike Team had been replaced by the man who wasn’t even his 2IC. How many people around the globe had muttered behind his back ever since the announcement? He’d faded from the spotlight since then, but some people clearly still thought about it.

_ “It’s alright. I was nominated for the position by the United Nations, and we trusted their judgement.” _

Gabriel grimaced. ‘Trusted their judgement’ Jack’s ass – the U.N. had hardly given either of them a choice in the matter. Either Jack became Strike Commander or Jack became Strike Commander, and either way, Gabriel became Blackwatch Commander.

_ “Any hard feelings about that, on his part?” _

_ “No, no.” _ Gabriel could imagine the exaggerated way Jack would be shaking his head, maybe even waving a hand in the air as though brushing away a fly. Pleasant, amiable, lying through his teeth – well, not entirely a lie. _“We’re still very close friends. After his efforts in leading the Strike Team, Gabriel decided to retire from the field, but he still works closely with Overwatch and often oversees missions.”_

Listening carefully, Gabriel leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on the desk and fingers tented under his chin. It wasn’t a bad story, all things considered – they could have said that he’d been forced to retire, that he’d been too severely wounded to return to the field, or that he was dead. A willing retirement, and still involved with Overwatch? Not a bad deal. He guessed it was the version Jack had wanted to go with, with a few tweaks by those suit-wearing higher-ups, or that’s what he’d like to hope. It was comforting to think that Jack was still trying to look out for him, even against the U.N’s wishes.

_ “I think he misses being out in the field with the team, truth be told,” _ Jack laughed lightly. _“But it’s good to know I still have such a close friend nearby when I need him.”_

Gabriel would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little touched by the words, even if they might have been part of his act. When they finally had some alone time together that evening, he’d have to ask him how much of this interview was pulled out of his ass and how much rang true.

_ “You’re… really quite fond of Reyes, aren’t you, Commander?” _

_ “Well, I…” _ Gabriel froze in horror as Jack seemed to go on normally, about to blurt out to half the world that ‘yes, actually, I’m dating my former Commander!’ Thankfully, Jack seemed to realise what he was doing at the exact same time, and he sounded a little off-guard when he resumed his reply. _“… I’m not sure what you’re implying there.”_

The presenter laughed in a manner that was far from innocent. _“I hope it’s not disrespectful of me to say this, Commander, but is there a chance you and Reyes are more than friends?”_

_ “I think that might just be crossing the line,” _ __ Jack’s words were stern, but he said them with a laugh – a particular talent of Jack’s. _“Reyes and I are good friends, but that’s all we are.”_

It was enough – just – to satisfy the presenter. _“Ladies and gentleman, I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today! Commander Morrison, thank you so much for joining us today, it was an absolute honour.”_

_ “The pleasure was all mine,” _ his voice was dripping with that Golden Boy glow. _“And always remember that Overwatch is here for all people who need protection. We aim to make the world a better place.”_

_ “And we have no doubts that you will! Thank you again, Commander Morrison!” _

The presenter continued chattering about things Gabriel had no need to pay attention to; just as he switched his holopad off, his communicator blinked to life.

“Happy now?” he asked once he’d picked it up.

He could practically hear Jesse’s grin. _“Don’t you even try to tell me you didn’t enjoy hearin’ him gush about ya like that.”_

“You can’t hear it, but I’m rolling my eyes right now.”

A snort. _“Aw, c’mon, boss! He called ya a damn hero! I’ll bet yer sittin’ there with yer chest all puffed out and li’l hearts in your eyes…”_

“Yeah, yeah…” Gabriel huffed, not quite as grumpily as he’d intended to sound. “Don’t you have work to do? Training, or something?”

_ “You ain’t fooling me, Gabe.” _ __ Jesse sounded teasing, but also light, happy. _“Y’might grouch an’ grumble about Jack, but you love the damn bastard, don’t ya?”_

A warm fondness spread through him, pulling the corners of his lips up towards his eyes. He’d never admit it to Jesse, not yet at least, but the kid was right. Whatever strain the promotion had put on their relationship, it could never change the way Gabriel felt about Jack. He hoped that nothing ever would.


End file.
